Grave – “Fiendish Regression”
Heavy pounding, mid-paced, sludgy, super-thick-riffed death metal with low, guttural vocals, oh, it’s Grave, alright. Here and there, it has bursts of speed, but overall it stays on the heavy and chugging side. Life-long (what?!) fans will probably be pleased, but anyone who listens – not just hears – will run up against several points to consider. 1. This is “brutal” (yawn), yes, but ultimately mediocre and bland. 2. The guitar work is nothing original or creative; instead, it’s play-on riffs; lazy, the way “St. Anger” has “aggressive” but mediocre riffing. 3. The songs are simply boring. I’ve listened some seven times now and there’s nothing attention-grabbing. 4. This is a second-rate bar band playing death metal.